Valyrian Steel
by wibblywobblywesteros
Summary: This story is based on the TV show version of events when Rob married Talissa rather than Jeyne Westerling. Talissa has a brother who wants revenge for what was done to his sister. Meanwhile Sansa has just recently married Ramsay Bolton and when a foreign man arrives at Winterfell looking for his sister's bones she wonders if she might have finally found an ally.
1. Chapter 1

The ship was putting down anchor at White Harbor and soon Jaelyx Maegyr would be headed up the river to bring his sister home. He fingered the letter in his pocket. He didn't need to read it to remember every word. Mother had been so happy to receive a letter from her daughter, his sister. It had been years since they had heard from her. He still remembered Mother's rasping cough as she had read the letter aloud to him. Mother had been angry when Talisa left them but by the time she received that letter, Mother had just been happy to hear that her daughter was safe and happily married. That had been nearly three years ago. It was as if getting the good news about her daughter had been the thing that allowed his mother to finally stop fighting her illness and allow herself to die. She had stopped fighting but Jaelyx hadn't stopped. He had paid for the best healers and medicines. She just didn't even try to live anymore. And he didn't have the heart to tell her what those barbaric Westerners had done to his sister and her husband at the Wedding. He couldn't tell her. Now that Mother was gone too, Jaelyx only wanted two things of these Westerners. He wanted the bones of his sister brought back to Volantis where she belonged and he wanted the heads of the men who had killed her. He was going to get that from them if it cost him his life.

Jaelyx shouldered his bag and resisted the temptation to keep one hand on the pommel of his sword. He didn't trust these Westerosi. He was a foreigner and they didn't seem to like foreigners. The men didn't like him anyway. The women liked him well enough. Several women approached him as he walked through the village after he came ashore. He was a good looking man, olive skinned, muscular, with dark eyes and dark hair wavy hair cut in a longer fashion than the Westerosi. He was dressed well too, in riding boots with gold buckles and breeches with a blue silk tunic and leather coat. Although he wasn't oblivious to his looks he was unaccustomed to being approached by common women. His grandfather was one of the ruling Triarchs of Volantis and had been elected again and again for many years. The Maegyr family was practically royalty in his city. He would have never lowered himself to speak to common women and they would have never dared speak to him. He ignored the first few women who tried to speak to him and they seemed to get the idea that he wasn't interested.

It didn't take long to find a riverboat heading North. The boat was leaving first thing in the morning so he paid his passage and then went to find an inn where he could pass the night. The first place he was headed on this journey was to Winterfell. His sister had married a Stark so he could only hope that her bones were there in the crypts. He had to see to that before seeing to his revenge, otherwise if he were caught, he might never get the chance to send her home. He knew that House Bolton now held Winterfell and that the Starks were gone. And he knew that Roose Bolton had played a part in his sister's death. The man would pay for that soon enough. Soon enough. Jaelyx paid for a room and struggled to sleep. It was hard to sleep when justice was so close and yet so far away.

Sansa saw it all through a window. A handsome foreign stranger had arrived at Winterfell and Roose graciously and courteously let the man inside. She didn't expect anyone would tell her what was going on or who the visitor even was. She was hardly ever let out of her room and Ramsay only told her news if he thought it would upset her. With that in mind, Sansa was genuinely surprised when Ramsay told her openly that they had a guest and she was expected to attend dinner in the great hall with the family. He even left her room unlocked. Sansa dressed for dinner having no idea who or what to expect.

Sansa arrived in the great hall to find her husband and good brother were standing around the table. Walda was often too ill with pregnancy to attend meals. Reek and few servants were standing in the shadows in the corner waiting to serve but she hardly noticed them. She only noticed the tall stranger and the way his eyes met hers with something akin to pity in them. Ramsay pulled out a chair for her to sit in. Sansa took it and the men then seated themselves.

"Allow me to introduce my son's wife, Lady Sansa of House Stark." Roose was saying. "Sansa, our guest is Jaelyx Maegyr of Volantis."

"You have traveled a long way." Sansa said, unsure if she should call him a Ser or Lord. "I am pleased to meet you."

"And I am pleased to meet you, my lady." The man said. He had a lovely accent. "As you are the sister of the man my sister married."

Sansa tried not to let her mouth drop open from shock. "You sister was Talisa?"

"Yes, she was." Jaelyx said sadly. "I came here to visit the crypts in hopes that I might pay my respects."

"And I have freely granted that request." Roose said.

"You have partially granted my request." Jaelyx said with a smile. "I asked that I might see my sister's bones home to Volantis. You have given me no answer on that request."

"Actually, I believe my father said, 'I don't think that will be possible." Ramsay put in.

"Why is that?" Jaelyx asked, taking a sip of his wine. Sansa could see the anger in his jawline. He hated the Boltons as much as she did. She wondered if they realized that. "Why is it that you don't think it will be possible?"

"Because there aren't any bones left to speak of." Roose explained.

Jaelyx' grip on his wineglass tightened so that the whites of his knuckles were showing. "What have you done to her?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"Many of the bodies after the wedding were burned. Her ashes are in the crypts with the rest." Roose explained. "But I believe that traditionally the Starks bury wives alongside their husbands. Taking your sister would be an insult to Lady Sansa's heritage."

Sansa didn't want any part of this. How dare Roose make it her fault that he wanted to harass this stranger? Of course Robb would want to be buried next to his wife but there was no one here in Westeros to mourn her. It hardly seemed fair to keep her away from her living family. "I believe that Jaelyx loved Talissa for more years than Robb did. If he wants to bring her home then it is his right to do so."

"Thank you lady Sansa." The man said.

Roose only shrugged. Ramsay cut the meat on his plate with more vigor than was necessary but he said nothing. They finished the meal and spoke of other things, mostly of the happenings across the narrow sea. Sansa stopped listening. She was lost in thought dreading what Ramsay would do to her again that night. She didn't even notice her husband speaking to her.

"Sansa!" Ramsay said loudly. She jumped at the sound, knocking her fork to the floor. "Will you do it or not?" Sansa felt panic rise within her she hadn't heard the question at all. She busied herself reaching for the fork on the floor trying to avoid answering it. She felt a hand brush alongside hers under the table. Then the hand gripped hers and squeezed briefly. She got hold of the fork and sat up, meeting Jaelyx eyes as he nodded reassuringly and suddenly she understood that he would help her. The Boltons had helped kill his sister and he was here to do more than pay his last respects. He was here to kill them.

"You must forgive my wife." Ramsay was saying. "So often her head is in the clouds." Ramsay was saying.

But Sansa's head wasn't in the clouds anymore. It was right there in the present moment and for the first time in a long time she found that she had a little hope.


	2. Chapter 2

It turned out that the question Ramsay had been trying to ask Sansa was about escorting their guest to the crypts. After the fiasco at dinner, Sansa wasn't given a choice in the matter. Roose simply told her that since she knew the crypts, she would bring Jaelyx to find his sister. Reek would accompany them of course. They wouldn't send her alone. Neither Sansa or their guest could be trusted enough for that but Roose didn't say any of that out loud. It was simply an unspoken implication.

As they walked towards the crypts Sansa couldn't help but wonder why her husband and good father were doing this. Surely they must realize that Jaelyx had no goodwill for House Bolton. It didn't make any sense that they would let the two of them go anywhere alone together. Ramsay had hardly ever even allowed Sansa out of her room before now and now she was trusted to be left alone with a foreign stranger. Well, Reek was with them and he was always loyal to Ramsay, but still, what could they possibly be thinking?

"Are your husband and his father feeling ill that they could not join us?" Jaelyx was asking her. So he thought it was odd behavior on their part too.

"Perhaps they feel uncomfortable in the Stark burial grounds." Sansa suggested though she doubted it was the truth of it.

"I should hope they do. I would imagine that the ghosts of your ancestors would haunt them in this place after all they have done." He said.

Sansa glanced back at Reek to see how he was reacting to all this. Would he tell Ramsay what Jaelyx had said? Her worried glance was noticed.

"Let's walk faster." Jaelyx said and they picked up their speed.

Samsa thought that her guest intended to put some distance between them and Theon and she wasn't sure she was comfortable with that. Though they shared enemies, that did not mean that Jaelyx was her friend. Still, she found herself increasing speed to keep up with him. Reek struggled to keep up with them until Jaelyx suddenly stopped and in doing so he elbowed Reek in the face, knocking him unconscious with the blow.

"Theon!" Sansa cried out and she wasn't sure why she should care.

"Oh dear, what an unfortunate accident." Jaelyx said in a tone that wasn't at all convincing.

Sansa gazed at him with worried skepticism. She doubted that had been an accident at all but she understood that they would have to tell Roose and Ramsay that it had been.

"Now can we speak freely,Lady Sansa?" The man asked.

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It had been easy to knock out the servant that his hosts has sent to spy on them. Jaelyx just needed a moment to speak with Lady Sansa alone. He needed a moment to think. He hadn't expected to find Sansa Stark at Winterfell. He'd been told that all the Starks were dead. Finding her here changed everything.

"Tell me, how did you come to be married to Ramsay Bolton? Surely you did not want to marry the son of the man who killed your brother?" He asked her.

It took her a moment to find her voice. She was seemingly shocked by what he had just done and perhaps worried about what he intended to do next.

"When I agreed to the marriage, I was promised that it would be temporary. But I think that the friend who arranged it was only using me. I think he betrayed me." Sansa said sadly.

This news saddened him. Sansa was a lovely young woman and had suffered greatly in losing her mother and brother and now was trapped married to the family who killed them. "I take it that Ramsay is not kind to you?"

"He is not." Sansa admitted but she did not elaborate. They continued walking in silence for a time. "This is it." Sansa said. "This is my brother and your sister."

Jaelyx stopped, tears in his eyes and found he was unable to speak.

"I never met her." Sansa said. "I was a hostage of the crown in Kings Landing during the war. What was she like?"

"She was… she kind and brave and intelligent. She left our family to learn the arts of healing so that she could care for the sick whether they were wealthy or common. I never knew anyone else who was capable of caring so much." He said. "What about your brother? She must have loved him for a reason. What was he like?"

"Rob was much the same. He was kind and brave and intelligent. Perhaps that is what they saw in each other. I suppose we'll never know…"

Jaelyx sighed. He knew what he had to do. He had known it from the moment he saw her. He couldn't just kill Roose Bolton and leave this place. If he did then Sansa would continue to suffer. Not only was she a beautiful woman who was anything but common, she was the sister of the man that Talisa had loved. Talisa wouldn't have wanted him to abandon her husband's kin. He found that he didn't want to abandon her anyway.

"You know why they have sent us in here alone?" Jaelyx said finally breaking the silence.

Sansa shook her head. "No, but I suspect that whatever the reason it will not be good."

"They are very likely looking for a legitimate reason to kill me. When we leave this place your husband will claim that I have tarnished your honor and their servant will confirm it." He told her.

Sansa's eyes widened. "Then why did you… the accident with Reek will certainly not help." She said worriedly.

He shrugged. "The servant probably says whatever they tell him to say. He looks positively terrified of Ramsay. Besides, I didn't realize their plan until just now." His impulsiveness was always getting him into trouble. Knocking out Reek had just been another case of that.

"If they accuse you then I might be blamed as well." She said worriedly.

"That is a possibility. But you needn't worry. I am well armed and I'll not allow you to suffer on account of my presence here. I'll try to rid Winterfell of the Boltons but if I fail to do that then I'll be forced to flee here. If you wish, I will take you with me when I leave Winterfell." He offered.

Sansa paled and her jaw dropped open. "Why would you do that?" She said with disbelief.

"Because what better way to avenge my sister than to steal away the Bolton's key to power?" He said and then he took a step closer to her. He reached over and briefly touched her cheek. "I always thought that I'd rather be punished for something I actually did than accused of something I did not do. Don't you agree?" He wondered if she would understand the implications of his words.

She was blushing so apparently she understood. "Yes, I agree." She said, her gaze not leaving his.

Acting impulsively once again, he leaned closer and kissed her. Her hands came up and rested on his shoulders and for a moment he thought about putting his arms around her but he didn't. Instead he pulled away.

"There." He said. "At least now when they try to kill me for dishonoring you, I'll be fighting for the truth."


	3. Chapter 3

Oh gods. Sansa couldn't imagine what had possessed her to allow this stranger to kiss her like that. No, she did know why. It was because he was impossibly handsome and because for a moment she had forgotten that he wasn't here to rescue her. She silently cursed herself as they walked back to where they had left Theon. She had been acting like a silly maiden. Except she wasn't a maiden so she supposed she had been acting more like a wanton woman. Jaelyx was carrying a small chest that contained his sister's remains. He had most likely been right about what Ramsay and Roose were planning for them. Jaelyx had to told her not to worry, had told her that he was well armed, but watching him as they walked she could see that he was tense. His words had been brave, even cocky, but he knew as well as she did that he was greatly outnumbered here.

Come to think of it, just arriving at Winterfell in the first place had been quite a risk on his part. Of course the Boltons were going to suspect that he wanted revenge. How had Jaelyx planned on dealing with that? She noticed that he wore a sword as well as a dagger. It was possible he had more weapons hidden on his person. Either he was a good fighter or he was overconfident of his abilities or perhaps a little of both.

They reached Theon and Jaelyx stopped and placed the chest on the ground nearby. He knelt and made an effort to wake Theon. After being shaken a few times, Theon began to wake. Theon scurried to sit up looking terrified. Ramsay would not be happy that he had failed to keep an eye on Sansa for the entire time they were in the crypts.

"W-w-w what happened?" Reek stuttered.

"No worries, you didn't miss much of anything. We have my sister's remains now." Jaelyx said to him.

Reek only stared at him, still quite frightened of what Ramsay would do with him next.

"Stop staring like an idiot and get up." Jaelyx nudged Reek with his foot. "You'll have to carry the chest so my hands can be free."

Reek obediently got up and picked up the chest as he was told. He kept his head down and fell in line behind Sansa and Jaelyx. They walked a short distance further and could see the entrance to the crypts just ahead. There were people waiting for them. Jaelyx stopped and turned to Sansa.

"I think you should get behind me lady Sansa." He said then turned to Reek. "You go on ahead of us. Take the chest to my horse if they'll let you."

Reek nodded, still terrified but he ran on ahead as asked. They heard Ramsay's voice when Reek reached him.

"Reek, what happened to your face?" Ramsay said.

"It was an accident master. I'm so sorry. It was an accident." Reek said, head down and pleading.

"So if you've hurt yourself, how did you see to my wife's safety?" Ramsay asked Reek.

"Lady Sansa is safe my Lord. She's not hurt at all. Please master, it was an accident…"

"I'll deal with you later Reek. Just take that stupid box out of here and stop blubbering." Ramsay said. By this time Sansa and Jaelyx had reached entrance. "Sansa, I do hope that Reek hasn't failed in his duty to you."

"Of course not. Our guest has been very courteous." She said hoping that Ramsay would believe it.

"Somehow, I highly doubt that." Ramsay said and he drew the two daggers that he carried.

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Jaelyx sword was halfway out of the scabbard before Roose's yell stopped him.

"Ramsay, put the knives away!"

To everyone's surprise, Ramsay did as he was told though he was clearly not happy about it. The four of them stood there tensely for a moment before Roose spoke a second time.

"I will escort our guest back to his chambers for the night while you take lady Sansa back to her room." Roose said.

Ramsay smiled at that and took Sansa's arm. Jaelyx doubted that his host had anything good planned for him and he seriously thought about trying to fight and escape right then but he decided against it.

"I think it's time to lay everything out on the table, so to speak." Roose said as they walked. "I am well aware of the fact that you dislike House Bolton. Perhaps you even thought you would come in here and enact some sort of revenge for your sister's sake. However, we both know that such an attempt would be reckless and foolhardy. You are hopelessly outnumbered here and would never escape with your life."

"I didn't expect I would." Jaelyx said freely.

Roose only nodded to that, as if some part of him could respect the attempt. "As it stands, my son and I have a difference of opinion on what to do with you. He believed that you would stain Sansa's honor if left alone with her and that would be a lawful reason to have you executed. I'm not as thirsty for blood as he is but I went along with idea because it amused him. However, I've had a change of heart. You are from a wealthy family are you not?"

Jaelyx could see where this was going and he didn't like it. He didn't like it one bit.


	4. Chapter 4

Sansa always found it hard to sleep after Ramsay left her chambers. Granted, she was glad he didn't stay. It would have been so much worse if he had tried to sleep in her bed every night after he finished using her. Even so, she couldn't sleep after what he had done. The pain wasn't as bad as the first time anymore but it wasn't pleasant either. The emotional trauma was worse than the pain. The fact that he could invade her body, could use he like a thing to be thrown away was what kept her awake. She threw back the blankets and began to pace the room. She was worried. Worried for herself and worried for Jaelyx. What would Roose do with him? She didn't know Jaelyx well at all but she knew that she liked him. She didn't want him to become another of Roose and Ramsay's victims. Maybe they would flay him. She hoped that he could manage to escape before it came to that.

Sansa did eventually manage to sleep when she became so exhausted that she was unable to stay awake. She awoke in the morning to Ramsay flinging open her bedroom door.

"Good morning my love!" Ramsay was saying with a huge smile on his face.

What was he doing? He never came to wake her up. It was always some servant bringing in breakfast who did that.

"It's time to wake up and go down to the hall for breakfast." He announced.

Confused, Sansa made herself sit up in the bed. "Why am I not having breakfast in my room, my lord?"

"We don't want to be rude to our guest." Ramsay said as explanation.

So Jaelyx was still here and still alive apparently. She tried not to let her relief at this news show on her face. "Of course not my lord. Might I have a minute to dress?"

"Yes, but be quick about it. Father doesn't like to be kept waiting." Ramsay said.

To her complete mortification, Ramsay stayed where he was in the room and watched her dress. When she was finished he took her arm and led her down to the great hall for the morning meal.

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Jaelyx really wasn't surprised that Roose wanted to keep him at Winterfell as a hostage to be ransomed back to his family. He wasn't surprised that Roose demanded he hand over all his weapons. Neither of those developments put much of a crimp in his original plan. He still had his poisons. There was some concealed in his signet ring and another type in his boot buckles. He would only need to shake Roose's hand or get close enough for a pinprick and the man would be dead a few hours later. If Sansa had not been here he would have had a nice courteous stay at Winterfell, taken his sister's bones, and shaken Roose's hand when they parted ways. He could still do that even now after his ransom was paid but it would mean leaving Sansa behind. He was going to have to come up with a new plan. It looked like he would have plenty of time for that. It could take weeks for the message to reach his father in Volantis.

When he arrived at the great hall for breakfast he could see that Sansa had not rested well. She was pale and anxious and had circles under her eyes from lack of sleep. Ramsay on the other hand was overly happy. It wasn't hard to guess that she did not enjoy her husband's attentions. He likely had raped her the previous night. The realization made him sick to his stomach.

"Is there something wrong with our food?" Ramsay asked, noticing his lack of appetite.

"Not at all, though it is quite different than what I'm accustomed to eating back home." Jaelyx said. He made an effort to take a few bites of the food.

"Hmmm, what do they eat in Volantis?" Ramsay asked. "It must be something strange like elephant trunks, don't you think Sansa?"

"I wouldn't know, my lord." Sansa said absently.

"We don't eat elephants." Jaelyx told them amicably. "We eat many of the same meats that you do. It's the vegetables and spices that are different."

Sansa looked up from her plate at him, having taken an interest in his words. So he continued talking about the food in Volantis for the rest of the meal. Ramsay seemed bored but Sansa was fascinated. Towards the end Ramsay noticed his wife's keen interest in the topic, or maybe in her guest.

"I wouldn't think you'd like Volantis anyway Sansa." Ramsay commented. "It's much too warm there for your northern blood."

"Of course you're right my lord." Sansa said, her eyes on her plate again.

Ramsay grinned at that. Irritated at what he had just seen, Jaelyx tried once again to form of a plan to get the both of them out of there.


	5. Chapter 5

Several weeks passed before an opportunity to escape presented itself. For weeks Jaelyx had been the highborn hostage of the Boltons. He had the feeling that Ramsay didn't approve of his father's courteous treatment of their foreign prisoner but Ramsay said nothing about it in front of him. Jaelyx attended meals with the family and was locked in his room for the rest of the time. Sometimes Lady Walda was there at meals, most times Sansa was there as well. They never really had a chance to speak about anything of their mutual situation but they talked of many other trivial matters. They spoke of the differences from the Free Cities and of Westeros, they spoke of the Targaryens, and dragons and slavery. Roose and Ramsay had an interest in the topic of slavery and Jaelyx was happy to speak on the topic at length. Anything that could keep them entertained would help to see to his own safety.

The news that Stannis Baratheon was marching on Winterfell seemed like just the sort of diversion that he would need to make his escape. He would still need to get himself and Sansa out of the Castle but they would at least have a chance this way. The only other major problem was that Sansa had never actually agreed to leave with him yet. He could see that she was unhappy here. He even had the impression that she liked him though that wasn't surprising. He was used to being admired by women wherever he went. Would that be enough to make her leave? And if it wasn't, would it be wrong to leave without her? He didn' have a good answer for that question. The lack of an answer kept him awake at night.

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Once again, Sansa saw the news from a window. Stannis was approaching with an army. She felt panic rise up within her. This was it. This was her best chance to light that candle in the tower and see if her family really did have any friends left in the north. It was more difficult to pick the lock than she expected it would be. Eventually she managed to get the door unlocked and she checked both ways down the hallway and found it clear.

It was hard to keep her hands from shaking as she waited with the candle burning. Roose and Ramsay were gone to meet Stannis' forces on the ground. If she were going to escape, this would be the best time for it. But the longer she waited, the clearer it became that no one was coming. Maybe that was best anyway. There was no way of knowing who might have come or if it was just some other trick. The only other chance she had now was Jaelyx. She had thought of going to him first but somehow the idea of what she could only assume would be one of her father's bannermen seemed more trustworthy than a foreigner whose loyalties she couldn't be sure of. Yet she knew she couldn't be sure of anyone's loyalties anyhow. No matter what she decided to do, it would be a risk.

Sansa didn't know where Jaelyx room was but she guessed that he was probably not on the same side of the castle as she was. Roose wouldn't want them anywhere near each other. She began searching in the right area and soon heard the clicking of a lock coming from a closed door.

"Jaelyx, is that you?" She asked from the other side of the door.

"Yes, I'll be out any moment. Is it true that Stannis has arrived?" He asked.

"Yes, Stannis is here." Sansa said realizing that he was taking the same opportunity to escape as she was. Would he still consider letting her come with him or was that just his way of charming her into kissing him?

The door opened and Jaelyx stepped out, a bag over his shoulder. "If you want to leave this place, we have to leave now!"

Sansa found herself nodding. Yes, she wanted to leave, maybe she even wanted to leave with him, but she was still anxious about how it would all turn out.

"You need to pack some things." Jaelyx was saying. "Warm clothes and whatever you need. Do you know where they put my weapons?"

"Probably the armory. I'll take you there." Sansa led the way quickly to the armory.

Jaelyx weapons were easy to find there. His sword and dagger were both Valyrian Steel. Sansa didn't know about weapons but she knew that it was no ordinary steel. After the armory, Jaelyx followed Sansa back to her room where she threw some clothes and toiletries into a pillow case and changed into better boots. Then stood and faced him.

"Ready?" He asked.

"Ready." She nodded. She felt anything but ready.

They found two horses in the stables and they found the corner where Reek had left Talisa's remains. Jaelyx looked at the box and then at the horse he had arrived on, "I'll have to tie this on somehow." He managed to do it rather quickly. "Can you ride?"

"I can," Sansa said. "But it won't matter, they'll never let us out."

Jaelyx thought for a moment. "They will if you're my hostage."

Sansa's eyes widened. "But I wouldn't really be your hostage?"

"Of course not. We'll have to share a horse for this to work." Jaelyx helped her to mount the horse then climbed on behind her. "Sansa, I'm going to take out my dagger now. The guards will have to see it close to your neck but I promise you I won't harm you with it."

"Alright." Sansa said, remembering another man who had held a knife to her throat. He hadn't harmed her either. He had come to her bed and asked for a song and she had given it to him.

The blade was cold against her neck as they rode to the gates. "Let us out or she dies!" The men who had been left behind were not the normal guards. They seemed unsure of what to do in this situation. After a moment of hesitation they opened the gates and let Sansa and her captor free.


	6. Chapter 6

As they left Winterfell, Jaelyx put away his knife and turned the horse due east. He resisted the temptation to ride at a full gallop because the horse was carrying a lot of weight and he didn't want to wear him out but they did go along at a steady pace. Roose and Ramsay were just north of Winterfell to meet Stannis. Some battles had been known to last for days so if they were lucky they might be able to get a good head start. Even so, they couldn't stop riding for a very long time if they really hoped to survive this.

For the first few hours they rode in silence. As the day grew later, Sansa finally spoke. "Where are we going?" She asked.

"Back to Volantis eventually, but for now just east." He said.

"I expected you would go back to Volantis, but what about me?" She asked him worriedly.

It hadn't occurred to him until just then that maybe she didn't want to go to Volantis. Of course she didn't. She had lived in Westeros her entire life. Why would she want to travel across the narrow sea with a stranger? "Is there someplace else you would like me to take you?"

She sighed, her shoulders slumped. "No, I don't have anywhere to go."

"What about your half brother in the North?" He asked, Ramsay had mentioned that Jon Snow was now commander of the watch.

"I would love to see him but women aren't allowed at the wall." Sansa said sadly.

"Then we'll continue east." He said. Sansa only nodded in response. "I'll keep you safe Sansa. I will." He said to her and he meant it.

They rode for hours until it was well past dark. Sometimes they spoke to each other but most times they didn't. Jaelyx didn't allow them to stop until late the next day when they came to a stream.

"We'll rest here for just a little while." He said.

The horse had a drink and grazed on some nearby foliage. He and Sansa went separate directions to make water. She washed her face and hands in the icy waters and he offered her a chunk of bread.

"How did you get this?" She asked curiously. She hasn't seen him pack any food.

"I've been taking food from the meals back to my room for a while now." He explained. "I have mostly bread and cheese and dried fruits but at least we have something."

"Thank you." She said as she ate the dry bread. "Did you plan on taking me with you all along? You did ask in the crypts…"

"I had hoped you would come with me since then. I wasn't sure you'd be convinced." He said.

"It wouldn't take much to convince me to leave Ramsay." She said, eyes downcast.

"Did he hurt you Sansa?" Jaelyx asked her. "I mean, really hurt you?"

"Yes." She said, tears in her eyes but she didn't elaborate.

He didn't push her to. "By the way, you can call me Jae. It's what the rest of my family calls me and since my sister was married to your brother it seems that you might as well be included with family."

Her eyes met his and filled with tears. "I wouldn't say that if I were you. Anyone who is family to House Stark is likely to end up dead."

They rested there for less than an hour. Ate a little, drank more water, then got back on their horse and continued on. Jae kept them going until nightfall when he finally allowed them to sleep for the night hidden in a small grove of trees. He didn't build a fire. He simply hobbled the horse. pulled out the only two blankets he had and spread the thicker one on the snowy ground. He lay down on it and looked to Sansa who was watching him anxiously.

"Are you coming?" It was early winter and she knew as well as he did that the closeness would keep them warm. She hesitated a moment longer and then with a sigh she joined him. He threw the second blanket over them and he turned away from her to go to sleep.

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Sansa was so exhausted from the journey that sleep came to her quite quickly. She wasn't entirely uncomfortable with the idea of sleeping so close to Jae. She had been riding with him and sitting close for a couple of days now. His presence seemed safe enough. Though she did have a hard time trusting herself on what was safe and what to avoid. She had once thought Joffrey was gallant and she had once trusted Littlefinger and look how that had turned out. Jae had every reason to be at enmity with the Boltons but beyond that she couldn't be sure of what he wanted. Maybe he wanted her, as a man wants a woman. Or maybe he wanted to hurt Ramsay by taking her. Whatever the truth turned out to be, she knew that he wasn't very different from most noblemen she had known. He believed himself to be important and he believed that commoners like Reek were unimportant. That in itself didn't mean he would pose any threat to her. It only meant that he saw the world the way most highborn people did.

Sansa woke early in the morning and found that she was sleeping against Jae's back. He was still asleep. She must have gotten cold or she wouldn't have been so close to him. It occurred to her just then that it had been almost three days since the last time Ramsay had used her or oggled her or hurt her in any way. She was perhaps safer in the woods with this near stranger from Volantis than she had been in the walls of her home Winterfell. But Winterfell was still her home and it seemed wrong to leave it behind. She wasn't going back, not to Ramsay, not ever. She just wished that she could go home somehow.


	7. Chapter 7

"I really don't like fish." Jae was saying as he cooked several fish he had caught. The fish were on a spit over the fire roasting and Jaelix watched them cook with mild disgust. "I'm not complaining though, not really. Any food at this point is something to be thankful for. Do you like them?" He asked Sansa.

"I like fish with lemon and herbs, or as a chowder. I don't know that I've ever eaten them plain like this." She told him. "I'm probably hungry enough that it won't matter all that much at this point."

"Yes, I am sorry about that." Jae said with a slight grimace. They had run out of food the previous day but he had been unwilling to stop and hunt without putting some more distance between them and Winterfell. "We had to keep moving."

"I understand. I'd rather go hungry for a while than ever go back to Ramsay." Sansa said quite honestly.

"Perhaps I should take that as a compliment that a lady such as yourself would rather be subjected to hunger in the wilderness with a foreigner than go back to her highborn life." Jae said with half a smile.

Sansa knew that he meant to flirt with her, to point out that the two of them were alone together without an escort. It was meant as a joke but she could not find the humor in it. Jae had been very kind, however he didn't seem to understand that anyone was preferable to Ramsay.

"My apologies," Jae said, becoming serious again. "I'm sure you didn't feel very highborn living with the likes of him."

"No, I did not." Sansa said, forcing herself not to cry. "I haven't even cared about being highborn in a very long time."

Jae looked surprised at that. "Really? You might have been the sister of the king, part of the royal family had the war ended differently. You can't tell me you didn't want that?"

"I suppose I might have wanted that once. I was going to marry Joffrey and be queen. By the time Rob had been killed I didn't care about being queen or being related to royalty or about being highborn. I only wanted my family back...if you could have your sister back, wouldn't you give it all up, all your wealth, all the status your grandfather's position offers you, would you trade it to have her back?" Sansa asked him.

Jae looked saddened as he thought for a moment. "I would. Though I don't know how well I would adjust to the life of a commoner, I would do it."

Sansa responded with a small smile. "Good." She told him.

"Good?" He asked curiously. "Why is that good?"

"Because people who only care about wealth and power are dangerous. I'd rather not be stuck in the wilderness with a dangerous person."

Jae grinned. "Who said I'm not dangerous? I can be dangerous."

"Why would you wanted to be dangerous?" Sansa asked him, still smiling.

"Because being dangerous makes me more interesting to all the women."

"All the women?" Sansa asked him. "I don't see why should need the interest off all of them."

"I suppose not. At this point I'd be happy with the interest of just one." He said more seriously as he passed her one of the fish that had just finished cooking. "A very lovely red haired woman."

Sansa felt herself blush at his words and she found herself unable to speak.

"This is disgusting, I still hate fish!" Jae said as he took a bite of his food.

Sansa laughed with him as they shared the meal.


End file.
